Phill Featherstone read English Literature at Cambridge and followed that with an MA in Education at Leicester. He has been a teacher, education adviser and publisher. He now alternates between writing, drinking coffee, and playing the saxaphone (badly) – not always in that order.

Phill lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England with Sally, his wife and partner of more years than either of them can count. He is the author of a number of novels and short stories. Most are about young people and therefore get the YA tag, but they’re enjoyed by readers of all ages, including retirees.


Phill’s first published book was Paradise Girl. It came out in 2016 and tells the story of – would you believe? – a worldwide pandemic and its effects on a family living in the remote hills of northern England. A sequel, Aftershocks, was published in 2017 and the story concluded with Jericho Rose, which appeared in 2020 just as the ‘real’ pandemic struck! These three together form the REBOOT series. It’s amazing that despite what everyone has been through during the Covic outbreak, there are still readers interested in the characters who populate these pages.


Phill’s fourth novel, The God Jar, is a tale of magic and mystery which straddles 16th century Europe and 20th century England. John Dee, Elizabethan sorcerer and mystic, known at the time as ‘the Queen’s magician,’ comes upon a jar which contains a powerful spirit. England is in danger and Dee must sacrifice his find to save the country and his Queen. 400 years later the jar resurfaces when a pair of holidaymakers salvage it. But have they found the jar or has it found them? And how do they avoid the perils it threatens?


In What Dreams We Had (2021) a group of young people are in a band that plays at their school prom. The guest of honour is a Premiership footballer. A few days later his agent approached the band leader with an amazing request, The footballer want the band to play at his wedding to his celeb girlfriend at his villa in Tuscany. The band jumps at the chance, but when they get to the villa they find that all is not as they expected. Strange vents begin to happen, and they are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about who they are, about what is important to them, and to wonder whether anything they thought was real actually is.


I Know What You’re Thinking (2022) is Phill’s most recent work to date. The central characters are Beth and Cameron, who share a remarkable ability: each can see into the other’s mind. Cameron is seized by criminals who are harvesting organs to sell to wealthy transplant patients. His only chance of survival is if Beth can use their amazing gift to find him.


Phill’s latest work is the Leopard’s Bane series, which follows a boy and girl in a mythical land. Book 1, The Poisoner’s Garden, deals with the struggle between two half-brothers. Book 2, The Rhymer’s Daughter, follows the defeated brother and a poor girl he falls in love with. A Hanging Moon, recounts the capture of the lovers and their possible execution.

Phill is now at work on his tenth novel, scheduled for publication early in 2025. He has also written a book of short stories, Undiscovered Countries, free to subscribers to his website, and co-written with Sally Featherstone several books in the Bloomsbury Education Early Years series.